The Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon act Marble from the west coast manages to create a dark post-rock masterpiece with their self-titled EP. The EP Marble consists of four songs that run under 15 minutes in total. These songs are part of the larger upcoming full-length album The Shadow In Me. The band primarily consists of vocalist and guitarist Chantel Bailey and lead guitarist Matthew Blount. Jonathan Cohen performs on drums, bass, and synth. The eery artwork which was released in various shades accompanying every single release is by Jeremy Alexander.
The first track Marble begins with contemplative and long-drawn riffs over drums which take their time to set the musical context. Vocal by Bailey with their exotic texture and a deep sense of longing and reflection. The reverb and aural ambiance of the song is elevated as we move towards the chorus. The chorus on the song figuratively floats you to another dimension with stunning use of time-based effects and guitar and vocal layering. The track ends on some heavy and fuzzy guitar riffs and solos which set an alternative blues post-rock phrasing and tone. The second track Bleed me out, begins on a somber note with the hazily spun vocals followed by a modern indie-rock chorus. The song lyrically creates beauty while singing of an impending sense of doom in passion and love.
The third track Quiet Mind begins and you are soon stunned in awe by the jarring but beautiful sound. We hear chords that give a harmonic feel of shoegaze mixed with noise rock. I would love to know how that particular tone is achieved. This track pushes our listening experience towards darker territory than what we’ve heard so far. The chorus has a dragging and sludgy feeling of finality; a highlight of the EP. The EP concludes with Red room with some eery atmospheric sounds and a simple riff which is followed by silence and the vocals. The bassline then moves us forwards towards a steady beat and Marble’s now-signature dark shoegazy post-rock vocals, choruses, and guitar and vocal harmonic layering.
The instrumental interludes on every track sound heavenly with a deep sense of calamity. Marble’s songwriting epress hurt, splendor, and melancholy in the lyrical and musical structure. Blount’s stunning punchy ambient guitarwork and Bailey’s magnificent vocals create a world in which we are immersed. This album is a masterpiece in terms of ambiance and dark aura it creates with a deep emotional root. While being post-rock it is rooted in the alternative tradition of the American west coast which of course the grungy feeling of cataclysm the EP creates. It mixes heavy indei with post-rock delays and reverbs masterfully. After listening to a taste with four-tracks, we can’t wait to hear the whole musical feast with The Shadow In Me.
Listen to this stunning atmospheric alternative post rock EP here!
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Discovered via http://musosoup.com
